Over the last few decades, the electronics industry has undergone a revolution by the use of semiconductor technology to fabricate small, highly integrated electronic devices. The most common semiconductor technology presently used is silicon-based. A large variety of semiconductor devices have been manufactured having various applicabilities and numerous disciplines.
Semiconductor devices are commonly fabricated on silicon wafers by introducing sequentially stacked patterned layers, such as conductive, dielectric and capping layers, on the surfaces of the wafers. Chemical vapor deposition systems are commonly used to deposit films or layers on semiconductor wafers.
Chemical vapor deposition systems are typically equipped with the following components: (1) a chemical vapor deposition chamber; (2) deposition or reactive gas sources; (3) inlet lines for transferring gas from the gas sources into the deposition chamber; (4) a mechanism for heating the wafers on which the film is to be deposited; (5) an outlet line; and (6) a vacuum source or pump for evacuating the compression chamber through the outlet line.
Processing efficiency is an important aspect of chemical vapor deposition systems. To enhance process efficiency, it is desirable to maximize the size of wafers used in chemical vapor deposition systems.